Album: Maybe You Should Drive (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jane St. Clair, the title character of the song, is named after an intersection in Toronto. Jane Street and St. Clair Avenue intersect, which gave Steve Page the idea for the song. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Charles - New York, NY
  • Page, who sings lead on this track, wrote the song with Stephen Duffy, who was the original lead singer in Duran Duran. Duffy and Page also cowrote the Maybe You Should Drive song "The Wrong Man Was Convicted"; he later formed a successful writing partnership with Robbie Williams, resulting in the hits "Radio" and "Tripping."

Comments: 6

  • Julianna from TorontoThe name choice of Julianna actually came from me. The lead singer got the idea to use my name when he met me and my mom when he took his daughter Hannah to this gymboree class when she was young. My mom and him were always partners and he got the idea of the name from learning my name!
  • Sam from Lincoln, NeIn live performances of the song, Steven Page has been known to change the line "no Julianna next to my Evan" to "no Julie Andrews next to my Evan".
  • Herbie from Toronto, CanadaJane and St clair was the home of the slaughter yards in toronto and to this day on hot days you can smell the dead meat
  • Sweet Billy from Colchester, CtThe Julianna / Evan line refers to Julianna Hatfield and Evan Dando, who were dating at the time that Jane was written.
  • Annabeth from Kutztown, PaWhat's w/ the Julianna and Evan line?
  • Elrond47 from Hamilton, CanadaApparently, when Steven Page was taking his friend Stephen Duffy (who also writes some songs with/for BNL) around Toronto for a bit of a tour, Duffy saw the intersection and claimed it would be a beautiful name for a person/song. Page didn't have the heart to tell him that that intersection, as well as the neighbouring areas of those specific streets were anything but beautiful, but came up with the idea for the song anyways. The song itslef seems to be about a relationship the singer had that "Jane" broke off, but that the singer thinks could still work.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Guy Clark

Guy ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the artists who have looked to Clark for insightful, intelligent songs.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"They're Playing My Song

Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.